Anyone have any ideas? Hopefully something to grow in the garden? to forage? Thanking any who shares their knowledge in advance - karen
Herbs to soothe garden-abused muscles at end-of-day tub???
Karen, you can make a cheesecloth "teabag" and put any (or all) of the following into it: comfrey, lavender, lemon balm, rosemary, rue, sage, St.John's wort, chamomile, thyme, catnip, goldenseal, witch hazel, hyssop, pennyroyal or any other mint, valerian root. You might want to rub a bruised leaf on the inside crook of your elbow to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. I'd particularly recommend a chamomile bath. Ummmmm... like floating in a giant, soft apple...
Don't know your "condition" -- do NOT use these without consulting an herbalist if you're pregnant!
DISCLAIMER: I am only sharing what my father tells me. I have not tried this myself nor do I attest to its possible efficacy.
Dad rides bicycles for very long distances (50-100 miles at a time). He says, when he's through with his ride, but before he sits down, eats, drinks, or does anything else (at the end of exercise) he put about 2 TBS of baking soda into 40 oz. of water and drinks it. He claims that your muscles release lactic acid during exertion and the soda water neutralizes the acid and minimizes, if not completely prevents, sore muscles.
I intend to try it next time I spend hours ripping out some invasive weed or something, but I have not yet. I would probably go with way less baking soda the first time I tried it and gradually increase the amount until I found the minimum amount you need for this to work. He says it's salty and not very pleasant, but if you chug it down, not really that bad.
Or you could make a hot pepper juice massage oil from cayenne peppers or something and get someone to massage you, but that could be problematic if you have sensitive skin. Really I think the previous suggestion makes more sense, but my dad swears this works.
Dogzilla--it certainly won't hurt you and you probably don't have to worry about hearttburn for a while afterwards either.....
:) Debbie
Thank you, all, for such comprehensive advice - will give it a try. (To anyone reading this, a medical diagnosis of cause of pain, as well as caution with possible allergy with a new herb are important - do research first and test a tiny bit of herb leaf on your skin, first).
The hot pepper and oil sounds intriguing. A physical therapist once told me that whether hot or cold treatment works is an individual thing and varies from person to person. For myself, cold works best, and I use that therapist's formula for a home-made ice pack of 4:1 water to rubbing alcohol in a zip-lock bag kept in the freezer compartment - it stays slushy. Never put directly on skin, but have towel in between and don't apply longer than 20 minutes at a time.
Dr. Jim Duke's book, Green Pharmacy, mentions certain foods and herbs possibly helpful for inflammation as well as arthritis that include pineapple, ginger, turmeric - he gives a recipe for a salad using these. He mentions red pepper for a variety of issues involving difficulty moving. There's much more in the book, which is organized by health issue.
Karen,
Maybe this chart will help you: Herbal Remedies http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbRemedies.htm
Check on Mustards here: http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mustar65.html#blamed
~* Robin
This is a sure fire hit: Medicinal Uses of Lavender http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbLavenderMed.htm
This message was edited May 4, 2006 6:33 PM
Robin, thanks for the links! I now have a new addition to my "favorites" file. Very handy indeed.
Ann
Excellent link Robin--always looking for arthritis relief here.
Debbie
Robin, thank you - these are outstanding links. Have y'all seen this one? -
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/
There's a lot to learn from your links, Robin - very helpful.
Yes, I have Karen, it's just that keep forgetting to link to it.... thanks for the reminder.
~* Robin